“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1-4)
Those who spend much time under my biblical teaching will say that sooner or later I will read these verses, and more of chapter one, and share that this may be my personal favorite passage. These verses say many things concerning our LORD Jesus Christ; they are power-packed! It speaks of His Eternal Identity. It speaks of His Identity as God. It speaks of His Creative Identity. It speaks of His Life Identity.
14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
And here, it speaks of His human identity; His Incarnation, “God with us!”
In this writing, I want to give some thoughts regarding the life of power utilized by the One Who was born among us of a virgin mother, and somehow conceived of the Holy Spirit.
First, the entire purpose for this Incarnation was the Cross. God, in Jesus, came into humanity for the intrinsic purpose of redeeming man; to put away sin. For reasons and purposes which are beyond and above our ability to fully grasp (finite man trying to comprehend the Infinite God), God the Son needed to be born into humanity as the perfect man to be the Blood Atonement for man. Because of the conception by the Spirit, His blood was sinless, and He maintained that sinlessness all the way to the Cross.
But, let’s speak of the human Jesus: 100% man and 100% God. Jesus never stopped being God. However, He purposely and obediently laid aside all the prerogatives or rights or abilities of being God. Jesus had the power and authority, but He laid it down to only access it by prayer to the Father by the Holy Spirit. He needed to be man as man was intended from the beginning, only perfectly determined and able to rescue fallen man.
In His self-determined weakened, or defenseless, state of humanity, He was as we are without Him. He required a constant connection, or fully active fellowship, with the Father by the Holy Spirit through much prayer. Prayer is where Jesus acquired the power of teaching; He heard from the Father.
“For I have not spoken on My own authority, but the Father Who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.” (John 12:29)
Prayer is where Jesus acquired the power to heal. Many times when Jesus prayed, He fasted from sleep. He spent many nights in prayer, or arose early before daylight, and then operated the next day in the power of the Spirit He received in the night prayer. I do not recall Jesus praying for a person’s healing, He simply healed them from the power of the Spirit that came from nights of sacrificial prayer. In that power, He would simply speak the words as if they were done: “Be whole!” “Be well!” “Your faith has made you well!” Again, we see times when just a touch, as in restoring Malcus’ ear, or touching a leper, was flowing with healing power acquired through time with the Father.
Jesus is referred to as interceding for us at the right hand of the Father after His ascension back into heaven, but we see that He began to intercede for us before His arrest and crucifixion, as recorded in John 17. Jesus continues to pray to the Father. This is the Son of God. Our Very God Himself, showing us our need for prayer by example. He is our example to follow. We are to grow to be as He was and is in character and action.
When Jesus and His disciples were entering the Garden of Gethsemane on the evening of His arrest, He instructed them with these words: “Watch with Me!” (Matthew 26:38) A little later, in disappointment, He said concerning their sleepiness: “What, could you not pray with Me one hour?”
Jesus knew, and expressed to us strongly in John 15:5, “I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
“Watch with Me! Join Me in intercession!” Beloved believer, Church, every invitation to pray is a “Watch with Me” command from our LORD! Get in the yoke with Him. Pray On!
